Through All the Pain // N. Longbottom

Summer 1996 // Chapter 1

It's been about a week since we left Hogwarts making it the last weekend in June, and not only that but it was the day of a small gathering of friends and family to witness the knot get tied between two very important people. Today was Remus and Sirius's wedding day! I was standing in the living room pacing back and forth constantly checking the new wristwatch that Dad had given me. I was wearing a nice dark blue dress with a black belt and just anxious to no end. Ron wasn't helping as he was acting the exact same.

"Where are they?" he asked anxiously. "Are you sure you told them, eleven o'clock, Lori?"

"Yes, Ronald. All four letters read eleven o'clock." I said checking my watch again. "Oh, but where are they!" Suddenly the fireplace lit up with green flame and someone stepped out of the fireplace. I got all exciting thinking they were finally coming through, but sadly it was someone we knew was coming but didn't expect until later. 

"Wotcher, Lori! Ron." Tonks said with a smile. Her hair was a beautiful shade of brown with little flowers woven into the design. Ron and I just muttered hellos and went back to being anxious. Not that we weren't happy to see her, but both of us were waiting for other people to walk through the fireplace. Once again the fireplace lit up and out walked one of Ron's people.

"Hermione! Finally!" Ron jumped up and almost hugged her before stopping and holding out his hand. "Lori here was starting to worry."

"Me? Oh no, you're not passing that anxiety onto me, got it?" I said glaring at my twin. "I'm anxious enough for my two people to get here. I don't need your anxiety added on top of that!"

"Who else is coming?" Hermione questioned as she placed her suitcase on the chair beside the fireplace. 

"Well, Harry is supposed to be arriving soon. We had to fight his Aunt and Uncle again to allow for their fireplace to be used in the Floo network again so that's taking some time. Since we were only allowed to invite one person each, Ginny chose to invite Dean, Ron chose to invite you because Harry was already invited himself, of course, I chose to invite Neville, and well since Mum didn't know whom to invite she let me invite one more person so I chose Seamus as well." I said glancing at my watch that now read two minutes past eleven.

The fireplace lit up and out walked Seamus halfway in the process of putting on a nice coat. I quickly walked over and yanked him into the room and scolded him. 

"I plainly said, in red ink might I add, to be here at ELEVEN!" I spoke loudly.

"Chill out, Weaslette. I'm only two minutes late." Seamus refuted.

"What if we were heading to the location at eleven, huh? What if you came here and we weren't here? Then what would you do, huh?" I said starting to pace back and forth some more, checking my watch again. "Now honestly where is that boy!"

"Which one? Neville or Harry?" Ron asked.

"Either of them!" I shouted before stopping and taking a breath. Freaking out wasn't going to make them arrive any faster, then yet again ... it was worth a shot. "I swear if those boys aren't here in five minutes I will personally Floo to their homes and drag their arse's here by their ears!" While I was talking apparently the fireplace flared up as someone arrived.

"You would do that to me?" Neville's voice came. I turned back abruptly and practically jumped into his arms.

"Never!" I said before kissing him.

"Oi! What did I say about snogging in front of me?!" Ron said quickly covering his eyes, "Also, you just said that you -"

"Shut up, Ronald," I said kicking back and nailing him in the knee. He fell down into a chair and glared at me. I pulled Neville down beside me on the sofa and we sat and laughed while we waited for Harry. Miraculously all of my anxiety practically vanished when Neville appeared. Eventually, around Noon, Harry finally managed to appear, and off we went to the wedding.